Floor rack



G. E. COFFEY Peli. s, 193s.

FLOOR RACK G. E. COFFEY Feb. 8, 1938.

FLOOR RACK Filed July 10, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @100m/bol@ Feb. 8, 1938. G. E. coFFEY I 2,107,853

FLOOR RACK Filed July 10, 1956 3 Sheets sheet 3 Patented Feb. 8,- v1938 PATENT oFFicE noon mex George E. Coney, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Harold S. RussclLChicago, Ill.

Application July 10, 193s, semi No. 90,018'

9 Claims.

The floor rack of the present invention is intended'primarily for use of the floors of refrigerator cars or the like and to be substituted in place of the wooden oor racks now commonly in use.

, The floor rack of the present invention together with Ithe supports therefor are of metallic construction, which possesses positive advantages in comparison with Wooden floor racks, in that the danger of distortion due to swelling or shrinking is eliminated; so that a more even and uniform surface is present-cd for the storage and movement of the commodities housed within the car or other structure.

air and eliminates ythe possibility of impairment dm` to splinter-ing or other injury to the floor surface by reason of inequalities which might serve as abutments or obstructions in the shifting of the load and which, in the case of wooden floors, constitutes a serious objection.

A further advantage lies in the fact that the metallic slats are of uniform thickness, so that,

in the case of repair or replacement, exact di-y mensions will be maintained, which accurate fitvting is often omitted in the repairing of wooden slatted oors where new slats of non-uniform 'thicknessare employed asreplacements, .resulting in inequalities in the oor surface.

Il--l Fig. is a sectional detail taken on line ofv Fig. 3;

Fig.y 6 is a plan view of a modified form of construction; l

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the same; and

` Fig. B is a sectional detail taken on line IL-l4 Referring particularly to the construction first q illustrated, the slatted flooring of the car consists of aplurality'oi sections A each of which consists of slatted panels l0, il I2. Each panel is integrally formed of plate metal which is pressed The present invention, more-f ovrr. makes provision for increased circulation of Further yobjects and details of the present intop and bottom walls 26 and 21, which latter are or fabricated to afford upstanding ribs i3 in the nature of slats which are separated from one another by valleys- I4. The ribs comprise flat top walls i5, all of which lie in the same plane to present a flush surface for the support of the kegs, boxes, crates, packages or the like, which constitute the lading of the car. The ribs also comprise upstanding side walls I6 which are connected'by base walls i1 constituting the floors of the valleys between the ribs. The terminal rib of a panel has the lower edge of its outer side wall inturned to afford a flange i8, leaving an open space or gap between the panel and the next contiguous panel in the same section of the floor. The top walls i5 are provided with lines of apertures I9 each of which has a downturned marginal flange 20, which serves to reinforce and stiffen the construction. 'Ihe gaps between the panels are of equal width with the valleys, so that the spacing of the Slat-like ribs is uniform from end cto end of the car floor.

The innermost section A, as shown, has hinged thereto a center section B connected by hinges 2i with the contiguous section A. The hinged section B occupies a space immediately adjacent to the transverse center line of the car and adjacent to the car door, and the hinges 2| are provided to enable this section to be folded inwardly upon the adjacent section A. which may be swung up into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 against the side wall of the car, the sections being mounted upon hinges 22;

In order to increase the circulation of air, the floors of the valleys between the ribs are provided with elongated apertures 23, which gives to the slatted construction as a whole the character of a foraminous surface to facilitate the flow of air without sacrifice of the stiffness and rigidity required in a structure of this character.

The slatted sections', each comprising three vpanels in the form shown, are supported upon stringers 24 which, as shown, extend lengthwise of the car and which are of channel construction standing on edge to afford a vertical wall 25, and

reinforced at recurrent intervals by vertical plates 2l provided with flanges 29, which rplates constitute spacers and which are preferably spot welded in position to further strengthen the stringers to thenecessary extent. As shown, the stringers are imperforate, since they extend lengthwise of -the car and do not obstruct the ow of air beneath the lading, although, if desired, the walls oi.' the stringers 24 may be provided with apertures. v

The hinges 2! comprise hinge members Il in the form of brackets secured to the floor sections in conjunction with ilxed brackets Il of anzular` formation fitted into ythe angle between the floor and the. wall of the car, which members are pivoted together upon a pintle 32. It is preferred to spot weld the panels directly to the stringers, although other means of securement may be employed.

Although in the oonstruouon described, theV slatted surfaces run crosswise of the car, and the stringers run 'lengthwise thereof, a vreversal of this arrangement is contemplated if desired, and

' it is not the intention to limit the invention to the arrangement shown by way of exempliilcation in the drawings.

The construction shown in Fig. 6 illustrates a siat arrangement in which ythemetallic slats 33 run lengthwi of the car and are supported upon stringers 36 running crosswise ci the car. In this construction, instead of providing a multiplicity of slats in the form of ribs struck' upwardly from an integral plate of metal, the slats are individually formed, e'ach 'slat comprising a top wall and side walls or flanges 36,',which I are inturned at their lower edges to afford flanges' 31 which rest upon the underlying stringers. In this case the individual slats are provided in their top walls with flanged apertures 38 .like those first described.

In order to holdthe stringers 34 in elevated relation to the car floor, each of the stringers is provided with feet 39 which, as shown, are of I trough-shaped formation comprising a base 60 and diverging side walls 4i 'which are spot welded or otherwise connected aty their upper edges to the stringer.

The stringers 34 are of inverted channel formation comprising a top wall 42' and flanged side walls 43, and since the stringers are held in elevated relation by the feetA 39.it will not ordinarily be necessary to provide apertures in the stringers for the circulation of air, although such `apertures may be provided if desired. 'As shown in Fig. 6, the slatted section C comprises a pluf rality of individual slats mounted upon tr'ansversely extending stringers,y and the center section D is. secured to the end of the section C by hinges I4' toenable the section D to be swung inwardly against the section C-when 'the latter is turned upwardlyupon its hinges 45. Although in the form of construction shown Vin Fig. 6 the slats extend lengthwise of the car. and the stringers extend transversely, it yis ob'- vious that a section of this construction might be otherwise arranged to bring the slats into I transverse relation to the car body.

ing of cargo, which often results in a tearing loose to warping, with a resultant impairment in the planerelation of the oor surface, which, when it occurs, interposes an impediment in the shiftof a slat or a splintcring of the same where wooden slats are employed.

Furthermore, the employment of metal eliminates the absorption of moisture with resultant fodors, which in the case of wooden slatted cars vare frequently present and difficult to eliminate,

and are most objectionable in the transportation offfoodstuffs or the like which may be contaminated by such odors.

'I'hel construction employing vintegral panels possesses certain special advantages in reduction of manufacturing costs and in rigidity of construction, since the spacing of the slats is in'- herent in the'panel itself and is not dependent' -the 4lodgment of materials between the slats, and

by the maintenance of uniformity in the plane of the slatted floor surface, the movement and storing of commodities is facilitated.

Although the invention 'l has been' described with particularity as to detail, it is not the intention to limit the invention to the forms of construction shown, since modifications thereof are 'within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A slatted iloor for cars or the like, comprising integrally formedmetallic panels, each panel having formed therein a plurality of upstanding riblike members having fiat top walls lying in a uniform horizontal plane and constituting slats with intervening valleys, andstringers located beneath the panels and extending transversely with respect to the slats formed therein .for elevating the panels above the iloo'r level of the car or the like. y

2. A slatted floor for cars or the like, comprislng integrally formed metallic panels, each panel having formed therein a plurality of upstanding riblike members having fiat top walls lying in a uniform horizontal plane and constituting slats with intervening valleys, the slats being'provided with downwardly flanged apertures to promote the circulating of air therethrough, and stringers located beneath the panels and extending transversely withfrespect to the slats formed therein for elevatingr the panels above the floor level of the ca'r or the like.

Iil. A slatted floor for cars or the like, comprising integrally formed metallic panels, each panel having formed therein a plurality of upstanding riblike members having at top walls lying in a uniform horizontal' plane and constituting slats with intervening valleysthe slats being provided l with downwardly flanged apertures to promote the circulation of air therethrough and the valleys being provided with apertures for alike purpose, and stringers located beneath the panels and extending transversely with respect to the slats therein formed for elevating the panel above the floor level of the car or the like.

4. A slatted floor for cars or the like, cdnsisting of separate sections, each section composed of a plurality of. panels, each panel being formed of metal and configured to afford a plurality of parallel upstanding ridges having flat top walls lying in a uniform horizontal plane and constituting slats with intervening valleys, and a plurality of stringers extending beneath the panels composing a section `and adapted'to hold the panels in elevated relation above the level of the car floor.

5. A' slatted door for cars or the like, consisting of separate sections. each section composed of a plurality, of panels, each panel being formed of allel upstanding ridges having flat top walls lying in a uniform horizontal plane and constituting' slats with intervening valleys, the slat surfaces being apertured to facilitate the distribution of air, and a plurality of stringers extending bei neath the panels composing a section and adapted to hold the panels in elevated relation above the level of the car iloor.

6. A slatted floor for cars or the like. consisting' of separate sections, each section composed of a to hold the panels in elevated relation above the level of the car floor.

7. A slatted door for refrigerator cars. consistingr of spaced parallel metallic slat members of inverted-channel formation each comprising a hori n zontal top`wall and depending vertical side walls,

plane, and a mounting for the slat members positioned to hold the slat members in elevated relation to the iloorlevel of the car.

8. A slatted floor for refrigerator cars, consisting of spaced parallel metallic slat members of inverted channel formation each comprising a horizontal top wall and depending vertical side Walls, the top walls all lying within the same horizontal plane and being provided with apertures to promote the circulation of air, and a mounting for the slat members positioned to hold the slat members in elevated relation to the floor level of the car.

9. A slatted floor for refrigerator cars, consisting of spaced parallel metallic slat members of inverted channel formation each comprising a horizontal top wall and depending vertical side walls, the top walls all lying within the same horizontal plane and being provided with downwardly flanged apertures to promote the circulation of air, and a mounting for the slat members positioned to hold the slatl members in elevated lrelation to the floor level of the car.

GEORGE E. COFFEY.

the top walls all lying within the same horizontal 

